We Must Face the harm caused by
imported GM soybeans to 1.3 billion Chinese
people

Author: Mi Zhen-yu

English translation by Chen I-wan

Summary

"We
Must Face the harm caused by imported GM soybeans to 1.3 billion
Chinese people" by Mi Zhen-yu was published by the "Science &
Technology Abstracts Newspaper" on April 25, 2014. This newspaper,
under the leadership of the Ministry of Science & Technology of
China, was established in 1992.

The
article emphasizes:
In 2013, China imported 63.38 million tons of GM soybeans from USA
and other countries.
Most of China's imported GM soybeans are used to extract soybean
food oil (one of the main tradenames is "Golden Fish" ). GM soybean
oil,
widely
used not because of its quality but rather due to its cheap price,
has rapidly dominated China's soybean food oil market, covering
most of the restaurant industry and canteens in China. The
glyphosate residue contained in GM soybean food oil (and GM soybean
protein powder processed from GM soybean cake, a by-product of GM
soybean food oil) eaten three meals a
day, continuously penetrates the bodies of most Chinese, including
children at kindergarden, primary school and middle school,
university
students and teachers, staff members and soldiers of the Chinese
army, government staff members, and other consumers (with exception
of special food supplied units). During the past 20 years, the
health level of the Chinese people has rapidly deteriorated with
various
diseases rapidly increasing.
The
situation is shocking. China's national health has deteriorated
sharply in recent years. Although weather,
water pollution and other factors also exist, the harm from GM
soybeans can not be eliminated. Assuring absolute safety of the
food supply is a firm policy of the state. On the massive issue of
human health and life, we have no room for trial and error.
Now is the time to dismantle the "information barrier" on GM food.
Concerned
departments should seriously carry out epidemiological
investigations, face up to reality, control the risks, carry out
the prevention priority principle, and adopt effective measures to
ensure the bottom line of life and health safety of the
people.

The
significance of this paper is also related to the status of the
author Mi Zhen-yu,
Former Vice President, Academy of Military Science, Doctoral
tutor,
Lieutenant General; National People's Representative of the 8th
National People's Congress, Committee member of the 9th National
People's Political Consultancy Committee.

The
publication of this paper by Mr. Mi sends out a very strong
message, it indicates that the serious harm caused by glyphosate,
GM food and chemical extracted food oil is not only gaining wider
recognition at grass-root levels in China, but also gaining strong
recognition among professionals in many fields, including more and
more senior military officers.

China is the homeland of soybeans. Before 1994, China was a net
export nation of soybeans. Since 1995, China began to import
soybeans. Thereafter, the import volume began to rapidly rise. In
2010, the import volume reached 50 million tons; in 2012, China
imported 63.38 million tons, accounting for 80% of China's soybean
market.

The GM soybeans imported by China mainly are the
glyphosate-tolerant Roundup Ready (RR) soybeans developed by the
transnational company Monsanto. Roundup is a patented herbcide
introduced by Monsanto in the 70s, which has special kinship with
Agent Orange used by the American military during the Vietnam war.
Roundup's main active composition is glyphosate, mixed with toxic
surfactants, like POEA.

In 1997, Monsanto isolated a glyphosate-tolerant
gene from soil agrobacterium, and introduced it into soybeans and
other crops. During the growing of crops, spraying glyphosate-based
herbcides can effectively kill weeds and normal crops, but will not
kill GM crops containing the glyphosate-tolerant enzyme,
facilitating large scale growing of RR crops while saving labor
cost.

But the result of spraying glyphosate not only causes a serious decrease of
nutrition composition in RR soybeans due to lack of aromatic amino
acids, but also causes glyphosate to penetrate and accumulate
within the roots, stems and leaves of the crops, which can not be
washed away. , The glyphosate residues
are difficult to clear out of the human body
after being ingested with the GM ingrediant foods.

In April 2013, TestBiotech, an independant German institution,
collected RR soybean samples grown in Argentina to carry out
measurement analyses of their glyphosate residue levels and found
that the glyphosate residue level of 7 samples, within the 11
collected samples, exceeded 20 mg/kg, with the highest reaching
97.36 mg/kg. [2]

Glyphosate is a toxic chemical, large doses of glyphosate can cause
death. There are suicide cases in both China and Japan caused by
administering glyphosate. A Japanese study considers that 250 ml is
the lethal dose for male adults, and low dosages and very low
dosages of glyphosate cause cronic toxicity.

During recent years, EPA applied restrictions on the MRL of
glyphosate allowed in drinking water, i.e. glyphosate residue
should not exceed 0.7 mg/L, and specified that glyphosate could
cause damage to kidney, liver and reproductive problems.
[4]

China's National State Standard
G52763-2005,
"MRL of pesticides in food" established by the Ministry of Health
in 2005, specifies the glyphosate residue level in fruits should
not exceed 0.1 mg/kg and corn should not exceed 1 mg/kg. It is
unknown why the above standard does not specify the glyphosate MRL
for soybeans.

"GMO Food Health Management Measures" established by the Ministry
of Health in 2002 had clearly specified that "the nutrition value
and food safety of GMO food should not be lower than the
corresponding traditional food." However, when this regulation was
revised on July 1, 2007, again for unknown reasons, this clause on
food nutrition value and food safety was specifically
deleted.

As China's National Standards does not apply restrictions on
glyphosate residue of soybeans, to date we have not seen official
measurement reports on the glyphosate residue level of imported GM
soybeans.

In 2013, China imported 63.38 million tons of GM soybeans from USA
and other countries. China's population is 1.3 billion, thus this
means that on average we are importing about 50 kg of GM soybeans
per capita. Using the glyphosate residue value of 20 mg/kg measured
on the GM samples from Argentina, the total amount of glyphosate
residue averaged by the Chinese population amounts to 1000 mg per
capita in 2013. Calculated on daily basis, the amount of glyphosate
residue from such imported GM soybeans averages to 2.74 mg/per
capita/day.

The U.S. government applies an agricultural subsidy policy on the
production of GM soybeans. Based on subsidizing 59.1 USD per ton of
soybeans in 2004, the total amount of subsidies for the 63.38
million tons of GM soybeans imported by China amounts to a massive
3.8 billion USD.

(Translator's note: This paragraph contains a mistake, i.e. the
total amount of 63.38 million GM soybeans imported by China are not
all imported from USA. However, the international trading price of
GM soybeans is directly affected by the massive agricultural
subsidy in the USA.)

Most of China's imported GM soybeans are used to extract soybean
food oil (the main tradename is "Golden Fish"). GM soybean oil,
used not because of its quality, but rather due to its cheap price,
has rapidly dominated China's soybean food oil market, covering
most of the restaurant industry and canteens in China.

The glyphosate residue contained in GM soybean food oil (and GM
soybean protein powder processed from GM soybean cake, a by-product
of GM soybean food oil -- note of translator) eaten three meals a
day, continuously penetrates the bodies of most Chinese, including
children at kindergarden, primary school and middle school,
university students and teachers, staff members and soldiers of the
Chinese army, government staff members, and other consumers (with
exception of special food supplied units).

During the past 20 years, the health level of the Chinese people
has rapidly deteriated with varius diseases rapidly increasing. The
situation is shocking.

In 1996, the rate of newborn defects in China was 0.87%; in 2000,
it increased to 1.09%; and in 2010, it increased to 1.53%.
[5]

According to an American survey reported by Reference News on June
2, 2013, the rate of severe depression inpeople over 60 years old
in China is as high as 40%; [6]

The first "The
Public health white paper" issued by the Beijing Municipal
Government in 2010 revealed: Type II diabetes has increased 11.7
times;

The Zhengzhou Daily News reported on April 2, 2013: The number of
children confirmed with autism has increased 100 times during the
past 20 years;

The Chengdu Daily reported on Feb. 20, 2013: During recent years,
the prevalence of childhood cancer is increasing, on average there
is one cancer patient for each 10,000 children. Among juvenile
cancer patients, leukemia, brain tumor, malignant lymphoma and
neuroblastoma are the top 4 types.

The "2012
Chinese male sperm quality
survey
white paper"
announced by the China Population Association in 2012 indicates:
The total amount of infertility patients in China already exceed 50
million, accounting for 15.6% of the child-bearing age population.
This number 10 years ago in 2002 was 8%, and 20 years ago in 1972
was 3%, 40 years ago during the 70s infertility patients were not
more than 1%.

According to a report by the Xinhua website, the prevalance of
Parkinson's patients in China has increased over 20 times during
the last 20 years; [7]

At present, the prevalance ofcardiovascular disease has exceeded
13% [8]; and the percentage of people with chronic kindney disease
has reached 10%. [9]

As the toxicity of low-dosage and micro-dosage glyphosate shows the
characteristic of being progressivein the long-term, the harm of GM
soybean food oil can not, like other toxic substances, be
immedietly ascertained. China's national health has deteriorated
sharply in recent years. Although weather, water pollution and
other factors also exist, the harm of GM soybeans can not be
eliminated.

Assuring absolute safety of the food supply is a firm policy of the
state. On the massive issue of human health and life, we have no
room for trial and error.

Yangcheng Evening News reported on March 3, the
American Academy of Environmental Medicine officially announced:
Genetically modified food causes serious harm to human health. Back
in May 2009, the American Academy of Environmental Medicine, USA
issued a report stating: Multiple animal studies show
significant immune dysregulation, including upregulation of
cytokines associated with asthma, allergy, and
inflammation.[10]

Xinhua website reported on March 15, 2014: The French ministry of
agriculture announced on March 15, they decided to ban cultivation,
use and sales of Monsanto GM maize MON810.

Now
is the time to dismantle
the
"information barrier"
on GM food. Concerned departments should seriously carry out
epidemiological investigations, face up to reality, control the
risks, carry out the prevention priority principle, and adopt
effective measures to ensure the bottom line of life and health
safety of the people.

(The
author is the former Vice President of the Academy of Militry
Science of China.)

Introduction of the author

Mi Zhen-yu, Vice President of the Academy of Military Science of
China, Doctoral Tutor,
,
Lieutenant General; National People's Representative of the 8th
National People's Congress, Committee member of the 9th National
People's Political Consultancy Committee;
Military discipline appraisal group convener
for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th State Council Academic Degrees
Committee;
The army postdoctoral discipline appraisal group convener;
The 5th National Human Resources Ministry postdoctoral professional
committee member.